profile
Yuki Ishikawa
Position: Outside hitter
Date of birth: 1995/12/11 (27 years old)
Birthplace: Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture
Height: 192cm
Highest reach: 351cm
Dominant hand: Right
22/23 season results
team
Power Valley Milan
League: Superlegga (Italian first division)
Participating teams: 12
Regular season: 8th (5)
Final ranking: 4th (9th)
Coppa Italia: 3rd place (3)
* () is last season's figure
individual
Matches played: 37 (32)
Number of sets: 131 sets (124)
Total points: 486 (370)
Set average: 3.71 points (2.98)
Serve
Number of bottles: 497 (463)
Number of aces: 37 (24)
Per set: 0.28 (0.19)
Serve Receive
Number received: 697 (776)
Success rate: 46.77% (50.64)
attack
Number of bottles: 895 (772)
Score: 419 points (319)
Decision rate: 46.82% (41.32)
Effectiveness rate: 32.51% (25.13)
block
Score: 30 points (27)
Per set: 0.23 (0.22)
MVP: 4 times
Season Review
Aggressive Ishikawa
Ishikawa has been very aggressive this season.
Last season, it seemed like the outside hitters had different roles, with Jesky (USA) on the opposite side playing offense and Ishikawa on defense, but this season it seemed like Ishikawa himself was demanding heavy tosses and attacking aggressively, regardless of whether he was on the opposite side or not.
This is also reflected in the numbers, with attack success rate increasing by nearly 51 TP3T compared to last season, attack points per set increasing from 2.57 to 3.20, and the number of service aces per set increasing from 0.19 to 0.28, making this a season in which more points were scored in both attacks and serves compared to last season.
I think the number of games where he was the team's best scorer has increased significantly compared to last season. That's how aggressive Ishikawa was this season. At times, he stepped up his game so much that it made me worried (in fact, there were quite a few scenes this season where he cramped up during games).
I think the reason behind this is probably the experience he had against France at last year's World Championships.
In the fifth set, we were the first to have a match point, but we couldn't get the one point we needed and ended up losing the match.
He then suffered defeats in similar situations in the home games against Verona and Piacenza, and in an interview after the Piacenza game he said "I think I need more ability to finish off the match, to 15 points if it's the fifth set, or 25 points if it's by the fourth set," so it seems that the ability to finish off the points has been one of Ishikawa's themes this season.
This season in particular, his concentration at key moments and at the end of sets was incredible, and he was often seen scoring with spikes and serves at crucial moments. He also earned the trust of setter Porro, and when they needed him to score a point, Ishikawa was often entrusted with the ball, regardless of whether he was playing in the front or back. In the fifth game of the playoff quarterfinals, where they beat Perugia to advance to the top four, it was Ishikawa who scored the match point with a spike after being handed the ball by Porro.
Late announcement but Milan won!!! Amazing!!! pic.twitter.com/29rmFhE687
— TOSHIKI (@toshikit71) April 10, 2023
As team leader, he led Milan to their first league top four finish.
Not only did he score the match point, but I believe Ishikawa Yuki's contribution was huge behind Milan's achievement of reaching the league's top four for the first time in the club's history.
This season, Milan had many players unable to play due to injuries, especially during the regular rounds, and they had to play in several games with unconventional formations due to a lack of players in the necessary positions.
Among them, there were many games where the team captain Piano (Italy) was unable to take to the court, and in those cases, Ishikawa took on the role of game captain. When Piano was unable to even sit on the bench, Ishikawa sometimes played in a uniform with the captain's armband on.
As such, he has not only played a key role in both offense and defense, but also as the team's leader and spiritual pillar all season long.
This was also evident during the game, where he not only communicated frequently with other players on and off the court, but also expressed his joy and cheered on the team whenever his team scored a point. He was even happier when his teammates scored points, and was even happier when they scored points.
However, because the team revolved around Ishikawa, it was not rare for the team to find itself in a tough situation when he was gone. In particular, in the Coppa Italia semi-finals, the team fell apart as soon as Ishikawa left the court due to leg pain, and Ishikawa himself said after the match, "Because I'm the one who's basically holding the team together, the team just fell apart as soon as I was gone."
However, they overcame these difficulties and made it to the playoffs in 8th place in the regular season, then they bravely faced off against Perugia, who had been undefeated in the regular season, winning three games and advancing to the top four in a giant-killing feat of the century. In the semi-finals, they then came within one step of defeating the previous champion, Civitanova.
Throughout the playoffs, Melgarejo (Cuba) stood out in terms of scoring, but it was undoubtedly Ishikawa Yuki who was the center of the team, and it felt like his ideology and determination to win was transmitted to the whole team, which led to this great victory.
Ishikawa said he would create new history in Milan.
In their first year they won the CEV Challenge Cup, in their second year they reached the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia, and this season in their third year they have reached the semi-finals of the league, literally making new history for Milan every year.
After a narrow loss to Civitanova in the semi-finals, they were beaten badly by Piacenza, a team they have a hard time with, in the third place match. However, when asked after the match about his goals for next season, he said with confidence, "I want to go to the final and win. We've made it to the semi-finals, so we have no choice but to aim for anything beyond that. Once we get to the semi-finals, it's not clear who will win, so of course reaching the final is a goal, but I think it will be difficult to achieve unless we set goals beyond that, so my goal for next season with this team is to aim for the top."
Surely I'm not the only one who thinks that if he says it, it will definitely come true.
Best bouts of the 2022/23 season
Playoff quarter-final 4th leg vs Perugia 3-2 (25-15, 19-25, 19-25, 28-26, 15-13)
It was a breathtaking match on site.
Just when it seemed he had taken a large lead in the first set, he lost the second and third sets without any trouble. However, in the final stages of the fourth set, Ishikawa came to his senses and took the set after a deuce, sending the match into a tiebreak.
In the fifth set, Leon (Poland) hit three consecutive service aces in the early stages, making the situation look hopeless, but Ishikawa and Melgarejo managed to catch up, and then, despite Ishikawa being injured and leaving the court towards the end of the set, Porro's service aces and the efforts of the middle players gave Japan a brilliant victory.
Melgarejo was the MVP, but Ishikawa's spirit was so incredible from the second half of the fourth set until he was forced to leave the game due to injury, and above all, the developments in the fifth set were so dramatic that it was one of the best games I've ever seen, both in terms of outcome and entertainment value.
Toshiki's Thoughts
This season, I have covered Milan games on site nine times.
Until the Coppa Italia quarter-final against Civitanova at the end of last year, all of Ishikawa's games that I saw live, including those before this season, were losses, and I felt somehow sorry for him (laughs).
However, after winning the Coppa Italia quarter-finals, I was able to witness two historic victories: a fierce battle against Perugia in the fourth match, and then in the fifth match, when the team advanced to the semi-finals and I witnessed Ishikawa Yuki dance for joy right in front of me.
I interviewed Ishikawa almost every game, but I always got nervous and after the game I was always thinking, "I should have done this, I should have done that." Compared to Takahashi, who talks a lot, Ishikawa is the type who answers calmly, so it was a challenge to get him to talk (laughs).
However, on the other hand, unlike the cool Takahashi, Ishikawa was passionate on the court. Not only when he scored a goal, but even more so, he was excited when his teammates scored, and encouraged any players who were not performing well. That was the image of a passionate leader.
His play is also first class, and I am always impressed by the wide range of attacking techniques he has, and I cannot count how many times I have called out in my head, "Mr. Ishikawa!" (laughs).
But more than that, I feel a strong gravitational force in his play. His play pulls up those around him as if to say, "Follow me," and gives them courage and hope.
This is what I felt most about him when I was there, and I believe it is the power that draws so many people to him.
It has been announced that Kaziyski will join Milan next season, and I am excited about the dream match between Ishikawa and Kaziyski becoming a reality, but first, let's talk about this year's Japan national team.
At the recent Nations League press conference, he set the goal of "top four". Following Milan, I'm sure he will lead the Japanese national team to the top four. And I'm sure he'll be fine at the Paris Olympics.
"I'm not trying to meet everyone's expectations, but I want to surpass them with performances and results."
Just ignore your surroundings and show everyone the view you want to see.
Photo: Lega Pallavolo Serie A, author's photo
English 
Japanese